Biography

Clinical Experience/ Qualifications:

Elena studied medicine in Athens, Greece and finished her residency in Endocrinology at the University Clinic Dresden (TUD). She obtained her MD degree at the TUD in 2011 in the bone field. Currently she is working as the Senior Consultant at the Department for Metabolic Bone Diseases, with a focus on secondary osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. She actively participates as co-investigator in several clinical phase 2/3 studies including studies to investigate the safety and efficacy of  romosozumab for the treatment of osteoporosis, the efficacy of bimagrumab to prevent sarcopenia and the use of recombinant human parathyroid hormone in the treatment of primary hypoparathyroidism.

Scientific Experience/ Qualifications:

Since 2010 she has been an active investigator of the Dresden Bone Lab. In 2015 she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Bonewald at the University of Missouri, expanding her knowledge in cell culture and bone-biology methods of osteocyte-like cell lines. Her particular interest lies in translational bone research with a particular focus on osteocytes and the interactions between thyroid hormones and bone tissue.
In October 2019 she was awarded the Habilitation title for her work 'Unravelling the effects of thyroid hormones on bone cells: The role of the Wnt signaling pathway”

Awards

• 25/10/2013Scholarship of German Orthopedic Society
• 02/10/2017Women in Science Scholarship of Medical Faculty TU Dresden
• 13/05/2019ECTS Clinical Fellowship

List of invited presentations

• 26/11/2019Role of Wnt signaling in thyroid hormone actions on bone. Tagung Sektion Schilddrüse der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie, 25-26 November 2016, Heidelberg, Deutschland
• 27/05/2018Clinical hot topics: Discontinuation of Denosumab therapy for osteoporosis: A systematic review and position statement by ECTS. 45. Annual European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Meeting, 26-29 May 2018, Valencia, Spain
• 17/05/2017Interactions between bone and the thyroid. Interdisziplinäres Treffen für Schilddrüsenerkrankungen (ISKUM), 17 Mai 2017, Campus Großhadern, München, Deutschland
• 02/05/2017Novel substances for osteoporosis treatment. 123. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin, 29 April-2 Mai 2017, Mannheim, Deutschland
• 10/09/2016Angiology meets Endocrinology. 45. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Angiologie, 7-10 September 2016, Dresden, Deutschland

List of oral presentations

• 17/06/2014Glucocorticoids regulate sclerostin levels in vitro and in vivo. 5. International Conference of Osteoimmunology, 15-20 June 2014, Kos, Greece
• 13/03/2015Thyroid hormones regulate bone remodeling and osteoblast differentiation by modulating the Wnt pathway. DVO Osteologie Kongress, 12-14 März 2015, Berlin, Deutschland
• 15/05/2016Sclerostin blockade and zoledronic acid improve bone mass and strength in mice with exogenous hyperthyroidism. 43. Annual European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Meeting, 14-17 May 2016, Rome, Italy
• 16/03/2017Treatment with zoledronic acid ameliorates bone mass and strength but mitigates improved glucose tolerance in mice with exogenous hyperthyroidism. 60. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie, 15-17 März 2017, Würzburg, Deutschland
• 24/03/2017Sclerostin blockade and zoledronic acid improve bone mass and strength in mice with exogenous hyperthyroidism. Osteologie DVO Kongress, 23-25 März 2017, Erlangen, Deutschland
• 27/05/2018Exogenous hyperthyroidism induces osteocytic osteolysis in male mice. 45. Annual European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Meeting, 26-29 May 2018, Valencia, Spain
• 16/09/2018Exogenous hyperthyroidism induces osteocytic osteolysis in male mice. 41. Annual Meeting of the European Thyroid Association, 15-18 September 2018, Newcastle, England
• 29/03/2019The role of dickkopf-1 in thyroid hormone-induced changes of bone remodeling. Osteologie DVO Kongress, 28-30 März 2019, Frankfurt, Deutschland
• 29/03/2019Denosumab effects on bone density and turnover in postmenopausal women with low bone mass with or without previous treatment. Osteologie DVO Kongress, 28-30 März 2019, Frankfurt, Deutschland

List of 5 Best Publications

• Discontinuation of denosumab therapy for osteoporosis: a systematic review and position statement by ECTS. Bone 2017; 105:11-17 Tsourdi E, Langdahl B, Cohen-Solal M, Aubry-Rozier B, Eriksen EF, Guanabens N, Obermayer-Pietsch B, Ralston SH, Eastell R, Zillikens MC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28789921
• Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in male mice and their effects on bone mass, bone turnover, and the Wnt inhibitors sclerostin and dickkopf-1. Endocrinology 2015; 156:3517-3527Tsourdi E, Rijntjes E, Köhrle J, Hofbauer LC, Rauner M. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26218891
• Certainties and uncertainties about denosumab discontinuation. Calcif Tissue Int 2018; 103:1-4Tsourdi E, Zillikens MC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29926143
• Denosumab: a new treatment option for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2018; 6:428-429 Tsourdi E, Hofbauer LC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29631783
• The role of dickkopf-1 in thyroid hormone-induced changes of bone remodeling in male mice. Endocrinology 2019; 160:664-674Tsourdi E, Colditz J, Lademann F, Rijntjes E, Köhrle J, Niehrs C, Hofbauer LC, Rauner M.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30689850

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES AT WORK

- Year Of Promotion: 2011

- Areas Of Expertise: Bone Density, Bone Strength, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Trials, Histology, Histomorphometry, Imaging, In Vivo Models, Osteoporosis, Paget's, and Translational Medicine

- Favorite Cell: Osteocyte

- Favorite Protein: Sclerostin

- Best technical skill: Cell culture

- Best knowledge: Clinical Endocrinology

- Hated technique: Western blot

- Research goal: To elucidate the interaction between bone and other endocrine axes and translate findings into clinical practice

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PERSONAL STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES

- Favorite dish: Meat stew with tomatoes

- Favorite place to live: London

- Best sport skill: Tennis

- Worst performance: Jogging

- Free time activity: Travelling

- Favorite quote: To thine own self always be true, W. Shakespeare